Offering Made by Fire..

 It is an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD. 10 And what is left of the grain offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is most holy of the offerings to the LORD made by fire.—Leviticus 2:9-10

I cannot help but see Jesus, the bread of life, in the grain offering...the offering that Leviticus tells us is the most holy of offerings to the LORD made by fire. Jesus who was our sinless substitute on the cross at Calvary. Jesus whose life was free from sin of any kind and who lived not for His own pleasure but for the will of His Father in Heaven. Jesus is He who nourishes our inner man and preserves us faultless through this world and into the arms of His Father and ours in heaven. 

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."—Luke 22:19

32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Decision Making Time...

 32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children,

For blessed are those who keep my ways.

33 Hear instruction and be wise,

And do not disdain it.

34 Blessed is the man who listens to me,

Watching daily at my gates,

Waiting at the posts of my doors.

35 For whoever finds me finds life,

And obtains favor from the LORD;

36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul;

All those who hate me love death.”—Proverbs 8:32-36

Proverbs Chapter 8 begins with wisdom crying out, making herself known and declaring God’s truth in every place.  Here in these verses she calls on the hearers to make a decision...

Beloved, there is no neutral ground...you are either for God or against Him.  You either believe or you don’t.  In choosing to not believe, you choose against your own soul by turning away from the One who offers you the free gift of eternal life. In choosing to believe you find life and obtain favor with God.  Choosing not to make a decision is the same as choosing not to believe. The evidence of your ultimate choice will be reflected in your life.

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,

20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,

21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.—Galatians 5:19-24 

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.—Hebrews 3:12-13

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.—Jeremiah 29:11-13

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.—1 John 5:12-13

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.—1 John 2

And Wisdom Rejoiced...

 30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman;

And I was daily His delight,

Rejoicing always before Him,

31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world,

And my delight was with the sons of men.—Proverbs 8:30-31

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.—Genesis 1:31

Genesis 1:31 tells us that God rejoiced over His creation and here in Proverbs 8 we see that “wisdom” was rejoicing with Him, especially in the creation of mankind. Why? Because man was made in the image of God and could, therefore, appreciate not only the intricate beauty of the physical creation but also the eternal wisdom used in the creative process. 

It is so helpful for me REMEMBER when I gaze upon the utter awesomeness of God’s creation that all of it was done in the greatness of His wisdom.  

Beloved, God is the same....yesterday, today and forever.  He wants to use this said same wisdom to work His beautifully wise and perfect will in the lives of each of His children. Why then, knowing this, do I resist His will?  The very One who spoke the world into existence and holds all things together by the word of His power wants to work His perfect will in me!  Praying that I would put aside my own prideful idiocy in thinking I know best and submit to Him and allow Him to accomplish His purposes in me for His glory.  

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.—Jude 24, 25